Parents' Guide to

The Fairly OddParents

By Betsy Wallace, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 6+

Creative and fun, with occasional mature humor.

TV Nickelodeon Kids' Animation 2001
The Fairly OddParents Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this TV show.

  • Timmy smiling and studying math.
  • Timmy smiling with his friends.
  • Timmy and his friends scared on the sidewalk.
  • Timmy and his friends playing.

Community Reviews

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age 8+

Based on 32 parent reviews

Your A.
Your A. Adult
May 2, 2023
age 6+

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Great role models
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
KK7
KK7 Adult
December 9, 2021
age 13+

Show quality tanked after main writer/producer left after Season 5.

Have you ever heard Timmy just call Cosmo as "Cosmoron" casually after the start of Season 6? That's the level of writing on the show after Steve Marmel - one of the main writers and producers - left after Season 5. Seasons 1-5 had wit, humor, wackiness, and just the right amount of random silliness from Cosmo that made the show entertaining. The attempts at humor from Seasons 6-10 feel really forced and Cosmo's randomness is just TOO random and at odd times that don't feel funny at all. The level of insults increased as well and doesn't feel right. Marmel was a standup comedian in his early years and knows how to make people laugh, and it feels like the remaining writers don't even understand any of the characters much less how to do comedy.
See all 32 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Grade-school viewers love watching Timmy (voiced by Tara Strong) -- a normal little boy trying to grow up and figure out the world -- wish for crazy things that he imagines will make his life more bearable. Timmy's fairy godparents, Cosmo and Wanda (Daran Norris and Susanne Blakeslee), grant his wishes, but Timmy inevitably wants life back to normal again. Timmy usually thinks he's wishing for something useful or helpful, such as a world without sleep or a cool job for his dad. The results of his wishes help Timmy make discoveries such as why kids need sleep or why just being Timmy's dad is a cool enough job.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (32 ):
Kids say (131 ):

Nickelodeon airs some of the most creative and expertly animated cartoons on television, and it has another winner with THE FAIRLY ODDPARENTS. Much like SpongeBob SquarePants, The Fairly OddParents can be fast-paced, raucous, and contain mature humor. Violence played for laughs -- characters squashed, clobbered, blown up, etc. -- isn't unusual, though no one is ever hurt permanently.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Timmy's wishes. What does he learn from making them?

  • What would you wish for? How would your life change if these wishes came true?

TV Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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